A potential breakthrough in intestinal research

By now you have probably heard of scientists using cell lines for research; stem cell lines are most frequently mentioned because of the controversy surrounding them. We (researchers) use cell lines to model the way different types of cells react to various stimuli. For a long time now, most intestinal research has been done using cell lines isolated from cells from colon cancer patients. Since these are cancer cells they divide rapidly and stay alive longer than normal intestinal cells, which die very quickly when they are isolated away from the intestine. However, the main problem with these cancer cells lines is that they don’t always behave like a normal cell would.

Not too long ago, I posted a blog about how one research group in Amsterdam has identified the colon epithelial stem cell. Now the same group has gone on to show that a single stem cell can build new intestinal epithelium (the cells that make up the lining of the gastrointestinal tract) within a week or two. Building new epithelium in culture is a major scientific advance since epithelial damage leads to the ulcerations developed in IBD. More importantly, this group also figured out the molecular pathways necessary to stimulate these colon stem cells to build new epithelial structures. One day, this could help us rebuild damaged epithelium in addition to inhibiting the autoimmune response, which is the target of today’s IBD therapies.

So what does this have to do with cell lines? Last month a research group at Stanford found that by stimulating the same pathways that made the stem cells grow, they could get normal intestinal cells to live in culture for weeks, months or even a year. Not only may these studies lead to new treatments for IBD, but they will also help us develop better tools to understand the underlying causes of Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis.